Community
Angelmommy's Pregnancy
My Due Date: April 5, 2018I am postpartum » My due date was more than 2 weeks ago
Age: 44 years old
View All My Journal Entries
Asthma, bronchitis, and the ER...oh my!
By Angelmommy » Posted Sep. 4, 2017 4:24pm - 202 views - 0 comments
Yesterday, very suddenly, I started coughing. Within about thirty minutes I was having trouble breathing. I used my inhaler and, when I realized I was very quickly becoming ill, I called the after hours line for my OB to see if I could start using my pulmicort nebulizer solution. This is typically what I do, but I wanted to make sure it was safe for baby. The doctor who returned my call said I needed to go to urgent care to get checked out.
When I was evaluated at urgent care, my heart rate was too high (over 100 bpm is considered too high) and they sent me to the ER as the doctor was concerned that it could be a pulmonary embolism.
I spent eight hours at the ER. They put in an IV, took a ton of blood, a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia, sonogram of my legs to rule out deep vein thrombosis, and tested my thyroid, about a million other things and a blood test to rule out pulmonary embolism (thankfully it came back negative meaning I didn't have to have the Ct scan.). They gave me a nebulizer treatment, IV steroid solution, and two more nebulizer treatments as I was really struggling to breathe. Finally at 3:30 they sent me home saying that I could use my nebulizer treatments at home. He wanted to give me a z-pack, but I am allergic. The antibiotics I can take he was concerned about the effects on baby, which is the same reason he did not send me with steroids. I am grateful to have had such a responsive doctor who was so receptive to my concerns about the baby. He was insistent that it was more important to treat me and make sure I got healthy, but avoided anything unnecessary that could harm baby.
I got home at 4, used my nebulizer, and went to bed only to wake up at 5:30 actually vomiting. Usually I retch and nothing comes up, but last night water and bile and stomach acid came. It was a miserable experience - I don't think I have ever thrown up that forcefully. I ate a couple of handfuls of cheerios and went back to bed, getting about 3 hours of sleep before waking up hurting all over.
Now I am weak, sore, and sick. Nothing is coming out anymore, which is not good and indicative that it is turning into a bacterial infection. I am taking mucinex, and trying to drink plenty of fluids. It is not easy when I am nauseous, but I am doing my best. Hopefully with enough fluids I can knock this out without antibiotics. I know I will need to go see my allergist tomorrow, and he will determine whether I need antibiotics. My biggest fear with antibiotics (aside from the possible harm to baby in the first trimester) is the inevitable yeast infection and having to use cream rather than diflucan.
For now I am just grateful to be home and able to breathe. After not feeling nauseous all afternoon and evening yesterday, I am somewhat grateful for the nausea as that lets me know baby is okay.
My Journal
Asthma, bronchitis, and the ER...oh my!
By Angelmommy » Posted Sep. 4, 2017 4:24pm - 202 views - 0 comments
Yesterday, very suddenly, I started coughing. Within about thirty minutes I was having trouble breathing. I used my inhaler and, when I realized I was very quickly becoming ill, I called the after hours line for my OB to see if I could start using my pulmicort nebulizer solution. This is typically what I do, but I wanted to make sure it was safe for baby. The doctor who returned my call said I needed to go to urgent care to get checked out.
When I was evaluated at urgent care, my heart rate was too high (over 100 bpm is considered too high) and they sent me to the ER as the doctor was concerned that it could be a pulmonary embolism.
I spent eight hours at the ER. They put in an IV, took a ton of blood, a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia, sonogram of my legs to rule out deep vein thrombosis, and tested my thyroid, about a million other things and a blood test to rule out pulmonary embolism (thankfully it came back negative meaning I didn't have to have the Ct scan.). They gave me a nebulizer treatment, IV steroid solution, and two more nebulizer treatments as I was really struggling to breathe. Finally at 3:30 they sent me home saying that I could use my nebulizer treatments at home. He wanted to give me a z-pack, but I am allergic. The antibiotics I can take he was concerned about the effects on baby, which is the same reason he did not send me with steroids. I am grateful to have had such a responsive doctor who was so receptive to my concerns about the baby. He was insistent that it was more important to treat me and make sure I got healthy, but avoided anything unnecessary that could harm baby.
I got home at 4, used my nebulizer, and went to bed only to wake up at 5:30 actually vomiting. Usually I retch and nothing comes up, but last night water and bile and stomach acid came. It was a miserable experience - I don't think I have ever thrown up that forcefully. I ate a couple of handfuls of cheerios and went back to bed, getting about 3 hours of sleep before waking up hurting all over.
Now I am weak, sore, and sick. Nothing is coming out anymore, which is not good and indicative that it is turning into a bacterial infection. I am taking mucinex, and trying to drink plenty of fluids. It is not easy when I am nauseous, but I am doing my best. Hopefully with enough fluids I can knock this out without antibiotics. I know I will need to go see my allergist tomorrow, and he will determine whether I need antibiotics. My biggest fear with antibiotics (aside from the possible harm to baby in the first trimester) is the inevitable yeast infection and having to use cream rather than diflucan.
For now I am just grateful to be home and able to breathe. After not feeling nauseous all afternoon and evening yesterday, I am somewhat grateful for the nausea as that lets me know baby is okay.
Comments for this Journal Entry
No comments yet. Be the first! |
